Technical Field
The present invention relates to a device management system, a device management apparatus, and a device management method.
Background Art
Along with development of communication lines, it is now common to utilize image processing apparatuses connected to networks, such as multifunction peripherals, copiers, scanners, and printers, from multiple information processing apparatuses connected to the networks such as computers.
In network systems, especially managed network systems in which security is a concern, authentication servers are connected to the networks. The authentication server registers image processing apparatuses associated with user authentication data (e.g., user IDs) that specifies which users are allowed to utilize which image processing apparatus in the network in nonvolatile memories. In the network systems, in case of user input of user authentication data in the image processing apparatus the image processing apparatus transfers the user authentication data and its own device identification information to the authentication server to request authentication. Based on the received user authentication data and the device identification information, the authentication server determines whether or not the image processing apparatus is available to the user and transfers the determination result to the image processing apparatus. The image processing apparatus controls whether or not it is available to the user in accordance with the determination result from the authentication server.
In addition, along with the development of communication lines, public facilities such as telework facilities that include multiple image processing apparatuses connected to networks such as the Internet available for users are now widely used. In the telework facilities, the image processing apparatuses are available on a pay-per-use basis.
Furthermore, recently, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have become popular, and it is vital to be able to exchange data between the mobile devices and the image processing apparatuses and use the image processing apparatus from the mobile devices.
However, unfettered access to image processing apparatuses in the public facilities from mobile devices poses unique data-security challenges.